There exists a need in many situations to easily and quickly mount a camera in an advantageous position, while at the same time minimizing unwanted camera motion. Hand holding the camera is almost always disastrous when trying to record a sporting event as the field of view is limited and the movement of the camera is distracting and hard to watch. The other options for recording a sporting event are either an internally dampened expensive very fast frame camera and/or a multiple axes highly dampened camera mount which also would be an expensive proposition-being what the professional sports networks use, thus not being practical for the individual user.
A remaining and in this case desirable option is to fixably mount the camera in a selected position that will allow a fixed frame of view for the camera of the sporting or other event, that with the proper zoom focus on the lens can pick up the sporting action that is desired without requiring either an expensive camera mount, or an expensive camera. However, the drawback of this method is that a ladder or other means is typically required to install and remove the camera.
This problem is somewhat recognized in the prior art with a number of complex to simple solutions in existence. The solutions exist either within the camera itself and/or are in the camera support or mounting apparatus. The typical complex solution to the aforementioned problem is with the use of either a gyroscopic mount or the use of a Gimbal bearing(s) that allows multi axis movement that is typically termed; roll, pitch, and yaw of a portion of the camera mount that is affixed to for instance, the rolling cart on a track while helping to stabilize the other portion of the camera mount so that the camera keeps a true orientation to the horizon or a selected position with minimal unwanted movement, further keeping a damped fluid movement especially in the case of shooting video. There are additional enhancements to either the gyroscopic mount or to the Gimbal bearing for computer control to help maintain a desired orientation of the camera. Simpler prior art solutions would involve a pendulum mount type of arrangement having single axis or multiple axis capabilities with a counterweight to help maintain the camera orientation to the horizon with movement of the non pendulum portion of the camera mount.
An example of a complex prior art solution would be in U.S. Pat. No. 5,897,223 to Tritchew et al. that is a stabilizing platform system for a camera that helps isolate the camera from multiple axis motion being about the roll, pitch, and yaw axes including a passive vibration isolator, this is accomplished by the use of multiple Gimbal bearings and dampened coil springs, or optionally multiple magnetic torque motors for controlling positioning force against the Gimbal bearing(s). Tritchew et al. would be considered a high end type of camera stabilizing apparatus by having control over multiple axes of undesired camera movement, a vibration isolator, and the ability to control camera movement, typically used to video a sporting event. A further example of a complex part solution would be in United States Patent Application Publication No. US 2003/0007795 A1 to Grober that is a stabilizing camera mount specifically designed to mount upon a buoy that is acted upon by a wave motion when the camera mount attempts to stabilize the camera's view in multiple axes and having remote control for relative camera positioning. Grober utilizes either an electronically stabilized device or a Gimbal bearing.
An example of a simple prior art solution would be in just positioning the camera upward, however, without any stabilization, i.e. a camera on a long stick, which will effectively make worse the movement of the camera, being totally unacceptable for video especially. Several prior art examples follow; in United States patent application publication number US2008/0107413 to Moore et al., being a camera support on a pole to give the camera a view from above, note that Moore et al., has a foot bar for driving the lower part of the pole into the ground, for some measure of added stability-however, inconsistent the stiffness of the earth would be, resulting in inconsistent camera mount stability. A further example is in United States patent application publication number US2010/0155549 to Robinson for a sports camera mount that utilizes a weighted pedestal stand for a floor mounting structure, being designed in particular for volleyball games, however, with Robinson suffering from the previously mentioned problem of inherent stability of the elevated camera, due to moment arm length (the pole length) exacerbating movement at the base that is amplified at the camera mount, which also appears to be able to be knocked over easily, especially in a crowd at the volleyball game. Appearing similar to Robinson in United States patent application publication number 2003/0161622 to Zantos disclosed is a mobile telescoping camera mount, wherein Zantos has a stand comprising four legs as opposed to Robison's flat plate floor mount, so possibly Zantos could better accommodate an uneven surface. A further example for the elevated camera on a pole is in United States patent application number US2004/0096207 to Nakatani that shows a camera mounted up on a pole, wherein it appears that the pole must be continuously hand held, which is even worse that Robinson, Moore et al., or Zantos for camera stability, especially acute in the case of video, note also in Nakatani, it would be difficult to know what exactly what scene one was shooting without the elevated camera in a fixed position, which would be essential, otherwise a remote view finder would be required, which again takes us to an expensive camera.
Lastly, another solution to this problem was put forth by Kennedy in U.S. Pat. No. 5,538,212 wherein a camera support platform that hangs from a fence is described. Kennedy is neither easily transported, nor is it adjustable as to being level in the case of a non horizontal fence beam. Kennedy utilizes two hooks and relies on gravity to hold the platform in place.
There exists therefore a need for a camera support apparatus which is easy to mount and dismount from an upright structure without the need for a ladder. A single user should be able to easily mount and dismount the camera to and from the stable overhead viewpoint, thus better enabling a desirable overhead view. The stability and angle of the viewpoint will then allow a video to be shot with a relatively inexpensive camera.
The present invention relates to the need for a convenient and quick way to mount a video or other camera in places where standard tripods and monopods aren't convenient or practical. The present invention further allows a camera to be mounted in such a way that it is 1) out of the way of foot traffic such as in the case of the participants in a sporting event, the audience at a music concert, or any other event enclosed by fences or walls, and 2) at an elevated angle that allows the user to capture the entire field, court, or stage. This downward angle is obtained by using the pivotal mounting tilting mechanism in the camera mount and by the use of an attached extension structure pole, thus allowing the present invention to be mounted on high objects such as fences, branches, or wires. A typical use is to record a tennis event from the top of a fence in order to see all of the court at the same time, however, the present invention is useful from any height as it affords a very stable mount.
Previous ways of recording images for these types of sports events are mostly made up of camera mount tripods (which because of their bulkiness and the fact that they are on the ground, get in the way of the action) or other more cumbersome ways of hanging the camera from a fence which are not as convenient to mount, use, or transport as the present invention. In the case of a sporting event in which the player is a participant, as in tennis, the present invention allows the participant to easily transport the present invention disposed within a tennis bag and then quickly place it on the enclosing fence. The present invention has a method of positioning the camera for a standard tennis court so that the correct position is obtained by setting the camera bracket to a predetermined angle prior to it being mounted and no further adjustments are required. Alternatively, in places other than a standard tennis court, a couple of seconds of video for instance can be shot and then reviewed, with subsequent small adjustments made to ascertain that the correct angle is obtained. Once the video camera is positioned, it can be left in place and retrieved when the sporting event is over. The present invention also allows the camera to be hung or mounted on a wall or anyplace where a suitable receptacle can be attached to receive the fingers of the present invention described herein.